Vincent and Catherine return from their honeymoon and begin the adjustment to married life. Joe and Elliot figure prominently in the story line. While celebrating Winterfest, Vincent and Catherine fall through a tapestry and discover an incredible fantasy universe. Explicit sex. [1]

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1

Continuation of novelette found in 'Neath the Sidewalks of New York 1. After Vincent and Catherine's wedding, a tapestry in the Great Hall proves more than it seems and they are thrown into a fantasy semi-medieval world where one of the two local races are people like Vincent...and the other isn't exactly like Catherine. Pleasant reading. Contains more ideas than get developed fully. A mild X, considering. [2]

Issue 2

cover of issue #2, Marilyn Cole

a flyer for issue #2

Tales from the Tapestry 2 is subtitled, "To Weave the Tapestry Anew." It was published in September 1990 and contains 211 pages. The art is by R. Dean Becker, Marilyn Cole, Pat Leslie, and Pam Martin.

In this second volume of the series, Vincent, Catherine, and Mouse discover they have been to the land of Vincent's origin. As they struggle to find a way home, Vincent becomes embroiled in an evil war and his family's intrigues. Nice art. Explicit sex.[3]

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2

In this best, second volume of what bids fair to be an ongoing series, Vincent and Catherine try to come to terms with having been forced (in TFTT-1) through an interdimensional gate into the feuding factions of the more or less late-medieval fantasy world where Vincent is heir to the kingdom of an imprisoned king awaiting ransom. To deliver that ransom and escape factions who want Vincent either captured or dead, Vincent, Catherine, Mouse, and others, particularly Vincent's half-brother Aedain (a charmer!) undertake an exciting, dangerous, and absorbing journey. A strong plot enhances the pleasant inventions that go unbridled and rather aimless in the earlier volume. The sex is married and reasonably sedate. Pam Martin's art is wonderful.[4]

Issue 3

cover of issue #3, Marilyn Cole

Tales from the Tapestry 3 is subtitled, "New Patterns in the Tapestry." It was published in July 1991 and contains 195 pages. The art is by Pam Martin, R. Dean Becker, and Marilyn Cole. It was edited by Sharon Wells.

"This story is dedicated to my beastly friends who wouldn't take MAYBE for an answer!"

The author's foreword:

Welcome — or welcome back — to the world of Auruth. For those of you who are newcomers. I hope this short introduction will help you feel a bit more at home, and even readers who have visited before should learn something new here and there. (By the way, Vincent and Catherine had intended to take you on this tour, but they have lately found themselves rather busy, so they asked me to fill in. Don't worry, you'll be meeting them very soon.)

The world of Auruth lies both very near to Earth, and unimaginably far away, on the other side of a dimensional wall that very few on either world can either sense or breach. It is a planet of much the same size and composition as Earth, though only two great continents interrupt the ceaseless progress of its oceans. These continents are joined by the slenderest of ties: a narrow bridge of land which winds its way across the top of the world. In the far prehistory of this world, the separation of these two land masses allowed for something which never happened on our own Earth — the parallel evolution of two distinct sentient species. On the continent which came to be called Orthun there arose a hominid race who now refer to themselves as the MARCUN; uniformly dark of skin and eyes and hair, in every respect they are so like one of our own kind that they could walk down the streets of Earth and never be noticed, as indeed one of them has.

The other landmass saw the evolution of a felinoid people, the AURLUT, who termed their continent — and by extension the whole world — Auruth. Since the following story takes place within the boundaries of their land, I will follow their practice in this matter. Their Marcun neighbors will no doubt protest this decision, but being a chronicler of the Aurlut people, and especially of the Royal House of Sharrelun. I feel it best to stay within my area of expertise. Besides. I'm rather embarrassed to admit that I really know very little about the land of Orthun.

As for the Aurlut homeland, it is a vast continent which over time has come to be divided into seven reasonably peaceful and prosperous kingdoms (not counting Nerissa, 01 which more later.) That isn't to say there aren't periods of friction and strife between neighboring realms, not to mention within any one of the kingdoms, but so far this world has avoided the wholesale destructive slaughters which Earth has suffered over the centuries. Perhaps it has to do with its peoples' mental sensitivity. I hey possess, in varying degrees, powers ol empathy and in the royal families a certain measure of telepathic ability. Both Marcun and Aurlut species have these powers, the Aurlut more strongly.

This Is a world which has yet to enjoy the "blessings" of an industrial revolution. As a society it is mildly feudal in nature: as Catherine told Vincent at one point during their earlier adventures. Culturally, Auruth reminded her of 14th century Europe with a dash of earlier. Plantagenet England thrown in for good measure. As the map shows, it is not an overpopulated world. The larger towns are well scattered throughout the various kingdoms, though there are many, many smaller hamlets which are not indicated, for which lack the cartographer begs forgiveness. Herding, farming, and all those other skills which spell civilization, (weaving and pottery, to name only two), take up the hours of most folks' days in Auruth, as they did in the not-so-distant past on our own world.
Due to the separation of their respective homelands — not to mention an ice age or two — the Aurlut and Marcun peoples did not encounter each other until both species were well along the road of intellectual and cultural evolution. It was not initially a peaceful encounter, but over the course of time relations between them improved; Aurlut raiders no longer journeyed to Orthun for plunder and slaves, and the Marcun ceased to flay alive any unlucky Aurlut captive they happened to acquire. Well before the time of this writing the two continents had begun to engage in some modest trading and cultural exchanges, and some years ago, one of those exchanges included the State marriage between Ulirra, daughter of one of the wealthiest Marcun trading families, and the Chyrev Ronoon av Konal, ruler of the Aurlut kingdom of Ardwenda.

The result of that union, in a roundabout sort of way. was the Ch'Alvedon av Ronoon, fair-born heir to Ardwenda's throne, who was lost through the dimensional Gates when he was but two days old: In short. Vincent.

Ah yes, the Gates. Every world has them, you know, or to be more accurate has the potential to have Gates; strange areas on land or in the seas where the "walls between the worlds" are thin, and where creatures from...somewhere else will sometimes slip through, to become the stuff of myth and legend. The so-called Bermuda Triangle on Earth is one of the largest, most untamed natural gate-points ever discovered. We can only wonder what sorts of myths our lost ones have spawned over the centuries, on whatever worlds they reappeared. We will never know, for without the focusing latticework of crystal to harness the Triangle's wild power, and without the adamantine will of a trained mind (which Vincent is currently striving to achieve) to tame and guide that energy, this eerie patch of ocean will never become a true Gate — only an enticing potential.

But there are other "thin spots," both on Earth and Auruth, and on Auruth at least there are those who understand the placement of the crystal lattices, and minds who are well versed in the songs that bend the powers of the Gates to their will. To journey across a continent or between the worlds, such a one need only know the proper resonance. Narcissa — or N'Yarta. as she was known on Auruth, before she came to Earth in search of the infant prince — is such a one. Within the chamber which came to be called The Great Hall she found a place to build her secret Gate, concealing it behind a silken tapestry, and when the time seemed right, she sent Vincent, Catherine, and Mouse (that last was admittedly an accident, but a fortunate one, as it turned out) through time and space to the world which had given Vincent birth, and where she hoped he and his lady might find a life that offered a good deal more than fear and hiding.

So the three of them came to Auruth, met Marcun and Aurlut alike, found friends and enemies, and found Vincent's family: his royal father, Ronoon; his half-brother, Aedain, Earl of Naslya and leader of an extremely efficient mercenary troop: and his mother, Sydelle af Edlyn, Chief Bard of the land of Nerissa. and Ronoon's soulbonded mate.

I know, you thought I said Ulirra was his mother. She bore him, but only after he was conceived of Sydelle and Ronoon: a truth known only by the three parties who were most intimately involved, and by the Healers of Nerissa, whose very special skills made such a thing possible. Maybe this would be a good time to tell you about Nerissa. as I promised earlier.

Nerissa is in fact a part of the Aurlut continent, just as the map shows it to be, but to the people of the Seven Kingdoms it is little more than a legend, a place no one has ever seen — or if they have, have not returned to tell about. Rumor says that, if it exists at all, it lies on the other side of the Lands of Madness and beyond the Smoking Mountains, a range of active volcanoes and ancient, uninviting lava flows which extends the length of the continent, and in this case rumor is quite surprisingly accurate. As for the legends concerning its inhabitants, they are said to be White Marcun (which everyone knows is impossible, since all Marcun are dark skinned), and also to be wizards, sorcerers with power enough to control all the fearsome creatures which share their faraway land. Well, two out of three isn't bad, though in actuality the Nerissans aren't wizards, simply highly skilled practitioners of various different sorts of parapsychological arts: but they do generally have light skin, so that says something for legend, I suppose.
Thanks to its being "mythical", and the supposed abode of wizards and monsters, Nerissa has enjoyed a pleasantly undisturbed existence, sheltered and secret, apart from the boisterous activity of the Seven Kingdoms — in some ways, quite like the Tunnels. The Gate of Duiflyth lies at the hub of Nerissa. with the demesnes of the Eight Clans scattered around it. And at the heart of each Clan is a carefully wrought Harmonic Arch, an artifact unique to Nerissa. Fashioned long ago in a time of great danger, each is attuned by its own unique harmony to the resonance of Duillyth. Only through its link with the Gate can one of them be used, but then it is the matter of a single breath to travel from the furthest point of Nerissa to its heart, and onward from there to wherever need dictates. Needless to say, it is not a thing for casual usage, and for the most part the folk of this kingdom travel by means of their njoms. Just like all the other inhabitants of Auruth.

Throughout the Seven Kingdoms, each king (or queen) is advised by a Council of Nobles. It is much the same in Nerissa. although there it is a Synod of Barons that advises the ruler. They've been especially busy lately, since their king (or Chyrev, as he's called) ascended the throne Just six months ago. Before that time he'd not even known Nerissa existed! Still, he has done well, and since he is the son of the Chief Bard and Ardwenda's king, no one doubts that he'd be swift to learn how to rule.

So now you understand why Vincent and Catherine were too busy to greet you as they would have preferred. Contrary to what most of us might think, being Chyrev is hard work, even in a kingdom as sedate as Nerissa. And in Catherine's case, taking on the duties of Chyrav was no piece of cake, either! Perhaps you can imagine how busy they both are — or perhaps you'd rather be told!

But before we do that we should make a detour by way of the Tunnels. Time hasn't stood still there; in fact it has moved much faster than in Auruth, and Narcissa has put that time to good use. And as usual when Narcissa becomes involved, things are likely to become just that much more interesting for everyone concerned, whatever world they happen to be on!

inside page from issue #3

inside page from issue #3

inside page from issue #3

inside page from issue #3

inside page from issue #3

inside page from issue #3

inside page from issue #3

inside page from issue #3

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 3

Further doings in a fantasy world inhabited, in part, by people like Vincent, where Vincent's now a king; just about everybody's happy, happy, happy, though Vincent's briefly-seen brother, Aedain, and Fiona, a witch, show promise of a few interesting sharp edges. Pleasant, un-taxing story with graphic sex scenes every 40 pages or so. The art, mostly by Pam Martin, is vivid and excellent. [5]

The adventure begun in Volumes 1 and 2 continues. Vincent becomes King in this alternate universe, we meet his brother, Father visits and, in the end, all make their way back to the Tunnels. Explicit sex.[6]